Such apparatuses are utilized predominantly for the finishing of precut wood (cants). The saws used for the finishing step can be circular saws or band saws and are fixedly mounted in conventional facilities. In known facilities, it is the device for holding the wood to be divided which is adjustable transversely to the longitudinal extension of the wood, i.e. crosswise to the direction of the cut, for aligning the wood with respect to the saw (setting of the cutting position), and is additionally movable in the direction of the wood for executing the sawing work. This dual mobility of the holding device not only presents structural disadvantages since the device for holding the wood must be movable in two directions, but also displays the drawback that the operator of the apparatus does not see the wooden blank at rest in front of him and therefore finds it hard to observe how the blank can be divided with a minimum of waste.
It has been known from EP-A 55,793 to retain wooden boards, during the edging of the same, in alignment in an apparatus, and to move the tool (saw or milling cutter) intended for the edging step with the board being at a standstill. For fixing the board in the apparatus, several pressure pistons are provided which can be advanced from above toward a table.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,348,924 discloses an apparatus for edging the rims of multiple-layer, panel-shaped workpieces; in these workpieces, the two outer layers project past the rim of the central layer. In order to retain the workpiece, a clamping means is provided which is equipped with two clamping jaws, the clamping jaws engaging respectively from above and from below at the workpiece and holding the latter. The clamping means for the workpiece can be adjusted with respect to the cutting plane of the saw with the aid of a motor in a manner not shown in detail. The saw is moved relatively to the stationary workpiece for the edging operation.